Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

Yes, very much so. The child guarantee will be one piece and will sit within the Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures, BOBF, successor strategy. The child guarantee is focused on children in need. That is the term used in the EU provision, which refers to the delivery of free childcare, free education and free healthcare to children in need. Obviously, that very much encompasses the groups about which the Deputy talks. There is some EU funding available under the child guarantee, which is particularly beneficial. Once we submit our action plan, we will be able to make applications for targeted programmes that will look to achieve the outcomes set out in that regard. The child guarantee, however, is a slightly narrower element. That is why we are not looking at it alone but, rather, placing it within the BOBF successor strategy, which looks at a broader context of children at risk of poverty and items such as homelessness the Deputy has addressed. That will allow us to address that in a comprehensive way, bringing together all those different Departments. This cannot be just a matter for my Department and the Department of Social Protection; all Departments are involved.

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